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FBI investigating death of Red Lake tribal councilman

RED LAKE - The FBI is investigating the weekend death of a member of the Red Lake Tribal Council.

"The FBI received reports of a suspicious death on the Red Lake Indian Reservation," Kyle Loven, chief division counsel for the FBI in Minneapolis, said in a phone interview. "The individual was later confirmed to be Donald May."

Donald "Dudie" May, 58, was a Red Lake District representative for the council.

Loven could not confirm whether a suspect has been taken into custody or the manner of death. He did confirm that the FBI was contacted Saturday evening.

"We are working this matter with the Red Lake Tribal Police," Loven said.

According to May's obituary on the Cease Family Funeral Home website, May was elected as Red Lake representative for the tribal council in 2004, 2008 and 2012. He grew up in Red Lake, where he worked as a commercial fisherman and in logging, owned an electrical business and most recently was director of Red Lake Sanitation.

A wake will begin at 4 p.m. today at the Red Lake Humanities Building and will continue until funeral services at 10 a.m. Friday at the same location.

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